Tom Cruise reveals he is already working on next ‘Mission: Impossible’ film

'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' is out this week but Cruise is planning ahead

Tom Cruise has revealed that he has already started work on the next Mission: Impossible film.

The fifth film in the franchise, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, opens in cinemas today (July 30) and though a sequel has yet to be announced formally, Cruise – who serves as a producer on the Mission: Impossible films as well as their star – is planning ahead.

“We’re starting to work on it now. We’ll probably start shooting it next summer,” Cruise revealed during an interview on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.

Cruise’s co-stars in this year’s Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation include Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Alec Baldwin, Sean Harris, Ving Rhames and up-and-coming Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson. Christopher McQuarrie directs from a script he wrote with Iron Man 3‘s Drew Pearce. The film’s official plot synopsis teases: “With the IMF now disbanded and Ethan Hunt (Cruise) out in the cold, a new threat – called the Syndicate – soon emerges.

“The Syndicate is a network of highly skilled operatives who are dedicated to establishing a new world order via an escalating series of terrorist attacks. Faced with what may be the most impossible mission yet, Ethan gathers his team and joins forces with Ilsa Faust (Ferguson), a disavowed British agent who may or may not be a member of this deadly rogue nation.”

Cruise first played Ethan Hunt in 1996’s Mission: Impossible before returning for sequels in 2000, 2006, 2011 and now 2015. The franchise’s previous instalment, 2011’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, became the most successful yet after raking in nearly $700 million (£465 million) at the box office worldwide.